Government Lifts Ban On Mitumba But With Conditions

By Getrude Matayo

Mitumba traders can now resume importation and sale of used textiles and shoes. The reprieve comes after the Kenya Bureau of Standards-KEBS lifted the ban imposed on the importation of the goods following the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) alongside the Ministry of Trade has published new guidelines that are expected to end agony for thousands of Mitumba traders around the country.

However, the move is likely to see prices of mitumba clothes shoot up since importers will have to spend more to meet the strict health requirements.

The government halted the importation of mitumba early this year as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. Second-hand traders across the country can now breathe a sigh of relief as new guiding principles come into play.

According to the Bureau, the move to lift the ban follows the development of protocols to enhance the protection and safety of traders and users while handling used textiles and shoes to avoid the spread of the disease.

All used textiles and shoes intended for importation into the country shall be subjected to physical examination and certification pre-export Verification of Conformity to Standards (PVoC) requirements.

Suppliers of mitumba shall be required to alert PVoC services providers contracted by KEBS on the intention to import and shall dispatch all orders through designated ports of entry including the Kilindini port and the Inland Container Depot Nairobi (ICDN).

The protocols announced yesterday by the Ministry of Trade and Enterprise Development will require Kenya Bureau of Standard (KEBS) to inspect consignment to ensure they meet set certification.

KEBS requires that the clothes and shoes are cleaned and fumigated before baling. Each consignment has to be packed in clear, transparent, and waterproof materials.

“Examination and certification shall entail inspection od suppliers sorting and baling premises, verification of fumigation and inspection of packaged shipments by the PVoC service providers,” KEBS managing Director Bernard Njiraini said.

Njiraini said the guidelines are a culmination of several weeks of research and consultations by the Bureau, Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The majority of mitumba traders had been forced to close shops as they ran out of supplies rendering many jobless and shifting thousands to other lines of income.